Rating: 
Summary: Great instructions on writing, bad instructions on life
Review: Most of what the author says about writing is both funny and true. Yes, most if not all of your first drafts will stink. Yes, you're unlikely to get rich or even well-fed if you rely on fiction writing for your income. Yes, you should be nice to yourself, and have the ability to laugh at yourself at the end of the day. It is, in fact, Ms. Lamott's sense of humor about herself that saves this book.But when you get past the instructions for writing and into the instructions for life, even the humor can't disguise the fact that our heroine is a monumentally neurotic sad sack who can't make it through the day without a liberal dose of divorcement from reality, whose idea of a deep statement is 'We are all terminal cases on this bus', and who thinks that her toddler son is a great source of Zen wisdom. There's no shame in this - a lot of great writers are a bit crazy, and a lot of other people have the misfortune to be crazy without even the consolation of being great writers. But crazy writers should stick to giving instruction on writing, and let sane people give instructions on life.
Rating: 
Summary: A favorite book--highly recommend it
Review: This is a great book. I wish I knew Anne Lamott. I reread it several times and went on to read her other books. Really enjoyed every word!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for Both Writers AND Readers!
Review: Lamott shows by example what good, even gifted, writing is; her writing is accessible and expressive. she is a bright writer who is not afraid to show her imperfections or to reveal her fears. This book is a practical guide for writers and those wanting to write. Bird by Bird, though, is far from the usual dry and academic writing manual filled with how to's. It is about a writer's passion, and therefore is inspiring. It is also highly entertaining, and it is for those who appreciate good writing and want to know more about the guts of the process. It is for those who read, not simply for those who seek to begin or improve their own craft.
Rating:
Summary: A must for anyone who wants to write but isn't
Review: If you are already writing consistently and have no problem getting to the page each day, pounding out pages and are confident that you are doing great work, you might not get anything out of this book. For everyone else, this book could provide you with nothing short of revolutionary inspiration. This book, along with Julia Cameron's "The Right to Write," finally convinced me that I couldn't stifle my creativity anymore and that I would never feel truly fulfilled until I got to the page each day and wrote. Thereputic and motivational, this book doesn't necessarily offer any earth shattering wisdom, but instead delivers it's teachings in a way that it is almost impossible not to "get." Be warned, it is a little slow going at first, but if you stick with it you will be rewarded. I have given this book many times to frustrated writers and have never gotten anything less than an exhuberant response. Plus...it's hella funny!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best!
Review: I highly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in writing! It gets you thinking, laughing and WRITING.
Rating:
Summary: nothing wrong with therapy
Review: I was bemused by the negative reviews I read of this book, and not sure what the expectations were of the neg. reviewers when they approached "Bird by Bird." Having no expectations and a bad case of writer's block, I found "Bird" to provide -- dare I say it? -- much needed therapy, or at least comfort. This book is not for weak-minded folks, as you may have read, but it is for anyone with vascillating feelings about writing who wants insight into what it takes and who does it. Frankly, I recommend surveying many books on writing -- including this and Meyer's "Writing for your Life" -- since no book on writing does it all, and the variety of perspectives is tremendously helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth reading
Review: Managed to read one chapter with great difficultly. The name of the second chapter begins with the S-word. If some one has to use that kind of word to convey an idea, you can judge how much expressive power the author has. This is ideal for kids (with the s-word blackened out :). More serious writers should read "How to Write: Advice and Reflections" by Richard Rhodes.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and inspiring
Review: One of my favourite ever books and one I come back to again and again, finding new ideas to savour. Funny, something to linger over, one to constantly inspire.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, You Must Buy This Book
Review: It's brilliant and funny and wise and helpful and inspirational and human and has the potential to make YOU all of the above.
Rating:
Summary: Nearly a Milky Way of stars, actually.
Review: This is a must for anyone who wishes there really was some sort of instruction manual not just for writing, but for living. Of course, every writer -published or not- must have at least five copies. One to read yearly and others to loan and never get back. But I think orthodontists and house painters and paralegals and bird watchers would do well by it. It's wise, is the thing. It truly is like sitting down and hearing some really good advice that you really need.
| 
